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Friday, April 28, 2017

This month is another good one for beautiful quilt book releases. Here are just a few, and each link will lead you to others ...

Splendid Sampler book by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson, that includes all the block patterns from their 100 block quilt-along, and finished quilts. Available in print or as an eBook, published by Martingale.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

We were a smaller group than usual on Monday, but having had a week's break, it was a cracker of a show and tell. All of this activity bodes well for our 2018 Quilt Show ...

Robyn L's rail fence quilt sings with colour and graphic energy - she has hand quilted it with big stitches in gentle curves.

Robin W regularly and generously makes quilt tops for our community collection. Her latest donation, made from her famous Kaffe Fasset stash, elevates the disappearing nine patch throughcareful use of a limited but rich palette of reds and blues, softening the edges of the design while creating strong diagonals. The border is her favourite Jinny Beyer print. After quilting and binding it will be donated to a child at Robin's request.

Lynette's show and tell came via email from Japan where she has been shopping in Takayama, with Chris from Leura.

Lyn showed us two large quilts she has been working on for some time - the 1500+ tiny squares here are 1" finished (not to mention the setting triangles). The four patch border was hexagon flowers in the pattern, but Lyn prefers squares, so several hundred more were needed. There are a lot of different fabrics!

Lyn's second large quilt also shows her mastery of piecing. It came about after she spotted a 'midnight fabric special' at Keepsake quilting online at a great price. So much fabric was included in the kit that Lyn has made a second quilt from the same package, making it excellent value.

Helen worked on the bindings of two large quilts over the Easter break, but found herself with some time to spare, so she turned to Margaret Sampson George's book 'Take an Element' for inspiration, and produced another one!

... detail of Helen's latest quilt

And then Julie unwrapped this ... her first machine applique quilt is stretched on canvas to hang on a wall. It is made from two fabrics only - the black background and the print. The print pieces are individually cut out, and appliqued to the background with a tiny zig zag stitch. The black 'lines' resembling the lead of stained glass is the background between the print pieces. It is about 30" square. Julie bought the pattern at the first quilt show she attended about five years ago.

The 2017 Rajah Award was presented to Lyn Hewitt (NSW) .The Rajah Award acknowledges the outstanding contribution by an individual to quilting in Australia.

The 2017 Lut-Da Award was presented to Jane Gibson (NSW) and Marie Lee (Victoria).The Lut-Da Award goes to a quilter who has made an outstanding contribution to their local or quilting community via the medium of quilting.

Friday, April 21, 2017

We knew that quite a few regulars would not be able to come to yesterday's monthly community sewing, but it was not quite the quiet day we anticipated, as those who did come were armed to the tops of their sewing trolleys with finished quilt tops, lots of pieces prepped ready for sewing, and heads full of ideas. There was a lot going on, here are photos of just some of the day's work and play.

We pin basted seven quilts, but only managed photos of four ...

We might have another hexagon convert - this is Julie's second community quilt made with appliqued hexagons (machine applique is her 'thing'), and she might have been heard to say she had another idea for them. She brought it along quilted, all ready to add the binding she had made last month, but it took a while to locate it ... right where she had left it, of course. It will be all finished by now.

Yvette arrived with 400 3/12" squares sewn into rows. The print fabrics were mostly spots from the community stash, supplemented by some cute kittens from Yvette's. By lunchtime the rows were sewn together and pressed ready for the soft blue print border. By the time we packed up it was pinned, ready for quilting!

Noelle's gelato scrappy pinwheels are made from fabrics left over from her previous quilts. That little glimpse of raspberry in the top right corner is the final border still be sewn on. It's just beautiful!

Consultation on rearranging a print panel that Dawn will sew into a quilt (it is laid on top of one she had already completed and we pinned yeaterday.

Linda called in to drop in her underwater themed quilt-as-you-go donation quilt ...

... that has whales and other sea creatures on it's reverse. She also did something mysterious and secretive with strips of fabric for an event she is planning ... all will eventually be revealed!

Sue C couldn't join us yesterday, but she has been working on her three (!) community quilts-in-progress, and posted this finish photo on Instagram this morning:My friend Toni generously donated these log cabin blocks, I made a few more and joined them up. Some simple machine quilting ... and my first use of a black and white stripe binding. Now ready to join the #fairholmecommunityquilts collection to go to a good cause.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

We didn't meet on Monday because of the Easter holiday, but there might have been sewing on these works-in-progress from last week ...

Yvette is making beautiful progress on 'Round the Garden' (Wendy Williams 's pattern). We love watching it come to life under Yvette's skilful needle but it's a bit like a really good book that you want to read and read, but you don't want it to end ...

Susan is making little hexie flowers (1/2" pieces), and maybe reading a magazine or two ...

Julie is doing hand applique - but she has a machine stitched project on the go too.

Elaine W is hand quilting a big quilt with lots of hand applique as well - she will not run out of sewing this week!

If Helen has time for sewing over the next week or so, she might be binding one of these large quilts that came back from the long arm quilter last week. The one in the top photos is made largely from vintage fabrics, including some repurposed curtains. The floral stripe in the pieced backing (upper right) was Helen's childhood bedroom curtains, made by her grandmother.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

During our workshop on saturday, we had the opportunity to see Brenda Gael Smith's Copa Abstractions (Textile sketches inspired by Copacabana and environs and completed as part of a self guided Weekly Art Project) tiny art quilts, up close, as she generously brought them to share with us. They look fabulous on the webpage, but even better 'in the cloth'. They are part of a year long project, and will eventually be included in a planned solo exhibition. See them online now, but look out for the announcement of the exhibition.

Brenda's work Karkalla has been named as a finalist in the 2017 AQC Challenge Made in Australia: Flora and Fauna - winners will be announced next week at the Melbourne event. Congratulations!

Brenda used a number of books to show us added examples of the work of other improv quilt artists, including Cindy Grisdela's Artful Improv. Here is a short video, in which the author introduces her method of making improv log cabin blocks:

Thursday, April 13, 2017

30% off fabric over Easter. This offer starts midnight Thursday 13th April and ends 23.59 AEST on Monday 17th April

The Pennant Hills store is closed for the four days of Easter, but 'Click and Collect' available for the 4 day sale:

Just create an account if you don't have one. Put in your order online and when your cart comes up to check, there will be a coupon box in the bottom right hand corner and you put COLLECT into it and click apply. This will take your postage off. We will send you an email when your order is ready to collect.

Janice has been busy at the machine - the main fabric ('Hello Bear' designed by Bonnie Christine for Art Gallery Fabrics) in this quilt for her little grandson features all sorts of woodland creatures. The mushroom print will also be the backing.

In her second quilt top for the week, Janice used rich red, gingery browns in a simply pieced, but very effective design of large hearts.

Miriam's latest original quilt design - she plans to write up a tutorial for her blog, Sew Miriam. It is a good scrap buster, using strip piecing, and the blocks are a no-waste design. The construction method is easier than it looks - Miriam was able to explain it in a few minutes - so watch out for the tutorial.

Jill's disappearing four patch for our community quilts collection started with 5 or 6 blocks left over from a quilt she made five years ago.

Denise's applique cushion cover was also a slow burning finish - it is a Wendy Williams pattern from several years ago. Denise added the yellow to brighten it up - unusual compared to most of Wendy Williams's designs now!

Helen complimented her pile of finished logs from our recent 'Logs and Ladders' workshop with some re-purposed log cabin blocks in her stash, and a vibrant red sashing from the community stash, to make a quilt for the community collection.

Sunday, April 9, 2017

We had a substantial 'show and tell' session this week, with these quilts in addition to the work shared from the 'Logs and Ladders' workshop on 1 April:

Margaret showed us some of the modern Waggas she makes from repurposed blankets, woollen fabric scraps and a little quilting cotton. She appliques by machine, and uses wool blankets for the backing, so they don't need batting ...

... they are utterly charming and very warm, and such a good way of up-cycling blanket wool.

Daphne chose a very appealing combination of a mostly turquoise print and white for her two fabric disappearing four patch quilt - always a favourite!

Susan M is always ready to try a new technique - this her first stained glass quilt. Not bad a for a beginner!

Finishing herLogs and Ladders quilt top last weekend prompted Roslyn's memory that she had made this quilt with improvised curved piecing some time ago.

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Are you looking for ideas to use up all those scraps? Well, maybe not all of them ... here are a couple of ideas:

Warm and Cool - a great scrap-buster quilt by My Quilt Infatuation It turned out shockingly busy and loud; and I totally love it!Good Day Sunshine: A Scrappy Quilt Tutorial - from Sew Mama Sew... (It) does double-duty! It chips away at your scraps while shaking off the last weeks of winter, in a palette that promises spring is on its way.

Friday, April 7, 2017

The success of this workshop last weekend can be seen in how many people brought their blocks in on Monday for show and tell, how many people had continued to work on them during the weekend, and had plans for further progress, and even some finished quilt tops. We look forward to seeing more! Our thanks to Brenda Gael Smith for a stimulating day.

Linda brought fabrics she wasn't too keen on, so she didn't mind experimenting with them - and now she loves them and can see a whole quilt happily emerging.

Helen made a pile of logs, which have now been joined by some repurposed blocks from her stash, and she has enough for a community quilt.

Pat's logs and ladder on the left are resting while she isthinking about where they will go next; Georgie's gorgeous yellow logs will be home soon after a little sojourn with Australia Post, and Elaine B's tiny logs (with tiny, tiny pieces!) will become a dolly's quilt for her little granddaughter.

Margaret W was aiming for pink-purple ladders, but they turned into apartment blocks - they might grow into a city under Margaret's creative hand.

Miriam said on Monday that her logs blocks are resting while she too thinks about them.

Jills ladders on the left have evolved into those on the right, and have been joined by a little log - she has a plan now.

Roslyn immersed herself in the workshop, completing all of her blocks by the end of the day!By Monday morning she had completed her beautiful quilt top.that she is very happy with - and the rest of us were astonished.

Nerida not only organised the workshop and managed the day, but by Monday morning she had finished her mini quilt top. Everyone loved her blocks as we saw them come to life during touch of that lovely red was a little bit of genius!

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

This pretty stars quilt will be sent to Germany for Elaine W's granddaughters' little cousin

A community quilt made by Pat, who wanted to try out the disappearing nine patch pattern - she also pushed herself beyondher usual colour preferences.

Julie made this playmat for friends to take to their grandson overseas - it is made from a large panel. with borders added from Julie's stash, making it a very generous size ...

The bright and busy reverse of the playmat, also from Julie's stash.

An experienced and skilled quilter, Lyn made up a busy top to practise using her Westalee rulers to quilt with her domestic machine ...

... Lyn's Baptist Fan quilting pattern is easier to see on the reverse.

Elaine and her niece who lives in Indonesia negotiated via email to determine the colours, pattern, size and very short time-frame for the quilt she requested. Elaine even quilted it on her domestic machine, all within a month of the initial request.